Osaka approches 2022 Australian Open title defence differently

Not only is she the defending champion at the Australian Open but also the event will be her first major one since she returned to tennis. It's been only one event so far and Osaka did not play too many matches. The combination of those things makes the pressure she feels even larger than before. That is why she is taking a different approach to this:

"I've been writing how I feel every day. I went out to the store and bought candles and incense so I built a routine in my room because I knew I was going to be there for a little bit. Other than that, just trying to have fun with my team, knowing there's a lot of players that would love to be in the position that I am in right now because being in the main draw of a Slam is definitely a goal."

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Osaka understand that it will be tough but she is focused on playing well and if she does she will go deep:

"I've been defending champion like three times before, and I've clearly never been able to defend it. But I think there's of course added pressure. You always think about it more often than not. But for me, I just want to come into this tournament playing well. I think that the bottom line if I play well I'll be able to get far. If I happen to lose, then that's something that I can learn on and keep practising and hopefully evolve from that."